For over ten years, fans of the Age of Wonders franchise have waited for a sequel, and this week, their prayers were finally answered. Triumph Studious, the team made famous by the Overlord and Age of Wonders franchises, announced that Age of Wonders III will release on March 31, 2014. The popular turn-based fantasy strategy game is available for pre-order now on GOG and Steam. Gamers that decide to pre-order the game will receive access to the “Elven Resurgence Scenario” which takes place in the ancient Heartwood Forest.

Age of Wonders III has been in development for a little more than three years. To celebrate the announcement of the release date, a new gameplay trailer was released by the studio:

The game promises to conjure a magical world filled with arcane powers and ancient treasures. There are six leader characters to choose from, which can be combined with six races of characters to play, ranging from Humans, High-Elves, Dwarves, Draconians, Orcs, and Goblins. Gamers are enticed to create an empire in their own image to serve the powers of good or evil, exploring a vast, living fantasy world with over fifty different location types. These environments vary greatly, starting with ancient ruins, to mana nodes.

There will be multiple game modes within Age of Wonders III. There is a story driven campaign where a player can made decisions to affect the outcome of an gargantuan final conflict battle between the “old forces of magic, and the rising power of technology.” The game also features a random map generator, allowing players to create a kingdom in a wide variety of environments.

There will also be a robust multiplayer aspect to Age of Wonders III as players can play together with their friends, or battle each other to determine who will reign supreme.

Age of Wonders III is currently available for pre-order for $39.99 for the standard version, or $44.99 for the Deluxe Edition on both GOG.com and on Steam. Some screenshots were released to the media, which are posted below for comments.

Age of Wonders III will release on March 31, 2014

Age of Wonders III conjures up a magical world, filled with arcane powers and ancient treasures.

Sean Gibson has been the owner and Executive Editor of Gaming Illustrated for over eleven years. His roles include acting as CEO and President of Gaming Illustrated, LLC and also includes being a reviewer, previewer and interviewer. Sean's opinions on this site do not reflect those of his full-time employer.